Handmade Tokkuri and Guinomi for the culinary sake pleasure

Sake has a tradition in Japan that goes back thousands of years. Although it is not reliably handed down, it is believed that sake and the culture associated with it came into being at the beginning of wet rice cultivation in the 3rd century BC. The first rites in which rice was chewed and spat into vessels together are also described in Shintō. Shintō is the most important religion in Japan besides Buddhism. Rice fermented in this way had only a low alcohol content and was eaten like porridge. An enzyme contained in saliva, amylase, converts the starch in rice into sugar, which can now be fermented by yeasts. In this way, alcohol and the first sake were produced. From the 5th century onwards, fungal cultures, probably from China, were imported and the chewing of rice became superfluous.

Tokkuri and Guinomi developed at the same time as sake. A classic Japanese sake set consists of the sake bottle, the Tokkuri and the cups, the Guinomi. The Tokkuri is the sake bottle and the Guinomi is the sake cup. Both are deeply rooted in Japanese culture and various forms and designs have been established. The handmade Tokkuri and Guinomi are part of Japanese table culture and historical heritage, along with the handmade Chawan. A Tokkuri is usually a bulbous bottle with a narrow neck. Other shapes have also developed over the centuries of sake culture. Especially the handmade Katakuchi enjoys great popularity. This is a flat ceramic bowl with a small pouring spout. Over the centuries, various forms of handmade ceramic Tokkuri and Guinomi have developed. What they have in common is that they are all unique in beauty, shape and feel and each has its own story to tell. These are usually small handmade ceramic treasures with a small cylindrical shape. However, they can also be made of (painted) wood or glass. In the recent past, sake sets made of plastic or synthetic materials are also available. Beautiful ceramic Tokkuri and the handmade Guinomi are produced individually or as a set in laborious manual work by the Keramik-Kartel. They are each lovingly made of ceramic and are masterpieces of pottery. Our sake sets inspire with their typical Japanese shape and, depending on the product series, are also made according to an old Japanese firing technique, the Raku firing technique. Thereby unique Raku ceramics are produced by fire.

Handmade Tokkuri and ceramic Guinomi are used in every season, because sake can be served cold as well as hot. In the cold season it is mainly served hot, but it is important that it is not heated above 55°C. Heating is not done in the Tokkuri, usually a porcelain or metal container is used and the sake is heated in a water bath. Understandably, spicy sake is best suited for this purpose, which is made from, for example, aus. Junmai or Honjōzō. The rice is less polished and still contains a large part of its husk. In summer, Tokkuri and Guinomi are used for Ginjō or Daiginjō sake. This is more polished and is only served chilled. Whether hot or cold, sake can be served as an aperitif, during a meal or as a digestif.

In Japan, sake is traditionally brewed and stored in casks. This cannot be done for a long time, sake is not suitable for longer storage and should be consumed within a year. The sake casks have a high filling volume and for serving the sake is decanted into smaller handmade Tokkuri, from which the present people pour each other into the handmade Guinomi. These can be of wood and are called masu. Ceramic guinomi are common in the form of flat drinking bowls, the sakazuki, or small cups, the ochoko. The handmade sakazuki are most often used at weddings and other special occasions such as tea ceremonies.